


We Stand Together

by Ultra



Category: Leverage, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Once Upon a Time (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Battle, Cavalry, Crossover, F/M, Fights, Gen, Heroes & Heroines, Magic, Multiple Crossovers, Team as Family, dragon - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-19
Updated: 2013-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-07 16:36:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7721977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ultra/pseuds/Ultra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes even heroes need a little back-up.</p>
<p>(Originally written for ishilde)</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Stand Together

“This place we’re headed to is called Storybrooke?” asked Natasha, one eyebrow quirked. “You were serious about that?” she checked with Clint, who only smiled.

“All the places we’ve been and things that we’ve done, and a possible fairytale town freaks you out?” he checked, just a little too smirky in his girlfriend’s opinion.

“Nobody believes those stories, right?” said Darcy from the back seat. “Fairies, magic, and an evil queen?”

“Your boyfriend turns into a big green rage monster when he’s mad, sweetheart,” said Tony through the comms link. “You’re really having trouble with good old fashioned fairytales?”

No sooner had he said it than the rest of the team in the car heard Pepper scold him for speaking of Bruce that way. She had no idea she was the one making the good doctor feel uncomfortable with her admonishments. Still, it was kind of cool to hear Tony’s apology from the more conspicuous vehicle behind them - trust Stark to bring a flashy sports car on an undercover operation!

“Look, I don’t know what the deal is with the fairytales,” Clint admitted, eyes flitting from the road just a moment to glance at Natasha. “Emma called, she said she needed a little back up. She’s family, more or less anyway.”

Clint had explained it all once. How Emma Swann was fostered by his aunt and uncle, a not-quite cousin as it were. They always kept in touch, even if the gaps in between calls had gotten longer lately. If she needed help, then he had her back, as she had often had his own. Now he had a team to help him, and all those that could make it were here. Cap and Thor were having their own problems right now, but everybody else made the effort to help out.

“Looks like we made it,” said Bruce then, ever the observant one as the ‘Welcome to Storybrooke’ sign came into view.

There seemed to be an almost audible ‘pop’ as the two cars crossed the town border in quick succession, though everyone present just assumed they imagined it.

“What’s first?” asked Tony, with a smirk those that couldn’t see him could imagine anyway. “A werewolf attack? Evil fairies? A rampaging giant?”

“You’ll be sorry when your mouth gets cursed shut,” muttered Darcy, rolling her eyes at his stupid jokes.

“Yes, but the rest of us won’t be,” replied Bruce just as softly, making her laugh out loud.

It was easier to let Tony think it was his jokes causing the mirth!

* * *

“Hey!” Neal smiled widely at the blonde woman as she leapt out of her vehicle.

He didn’t use her name, since at this point he wasn’t even sure which one she’d be using. Back in the day, on the mean streets of New York when they were kids, it had been at least three different things inside of a year, but mostly she had been Parker.

“Hi,” she smiled back, perhaps a little more cautiously.

Parker had always been that way, so Neal didn’t question it. Honestly, he was way more confused by the hug that came next. She was never the hugging kind and his shock must’ve shown on his face as Emma went into defensive mode, especially when she realised Parker wasn’t alone.

“Hi, I’m Todd. Parker’s partner,” he introduced himself, at least letting Neal know he was okay to call his old friend by the same old name for now.

Of course that was what the hug had been for - she was whispering everything he needed to know into his ear. Like the fact her ‘partner’ was both her boyfriend and her fake FBI partner. Neal wasn’t totally sure if that meant they were both faking the Fed thing or just her, but right now didn’t seem a good time to ask.

“Good to have you here,” Emma nodded along. “But honestly? I was hoping Neal’s friends were bringing a little more fire power to the party.”

“I was relying on you for the cavalry, sweetheart,” her other half informed her with a smirk that never failed to make her smile.

As if on cue, two cars pulled up behind Parker’s own transport. Clint managed to get out first and rushed to hug his cousin in greeting. The rest of the gang were a surprise, but after introductions it did make sense. Emma knew Clint had connections these days, though Tony Stark was a surprise. Having been in Storybrooke so long, Emma knew nothing about the Avengers. Clint thought it was best to keep it that way, and was just about to ask what he and his friends could do to help, when the reason they were called gave a mighty roar.

“That spell works faster than we thought,” said Emma, looking towards Neal.

“At least we got the others to safety in time,” he replied, taking a breath and turning towards the awful noise as the dragon came into view.

“Okay, that’s... Is anyone else seeing a dragon?” Pepper asked, looking stunned.

“You’re dating Iron Man, and aliens attacked New York last year, yet a dragon shocks you?” asked Parker, making a ‘pfft’ noise, and practically laughing at the red-head, despite the impending doom of the dragon heading for them.

“First things first, how do we kill it?” asked Nat, bored of the chit-chat when lives were about to be in danger.

“We don’t know,” Emma shook her head. “Magic has been tried and failed. Guns scare it but don’t seem to do too much damage,” she said, getting into her best fighting stance, sword in hand.

“It could be that if we can get to the Evil Queen’s house and bind her, that’ll stop the dragon too,” Neal added, as the thumping of the dragons feet against the ground made the whole street vibrate.

“Evil Queen? Really?” Tony checked, though nobody bothered to answer.

“Um, honey, I think we need a plan,” said McSweeten to Parker, trying not to shake like a leaf behind her.

“It’s just like any other job,” she said too calmly, checking her escape options. “Find the leverage,” she shrugged. “If they can hold this thing off, we can get to the Queen’s house, right? Tell her if she doesn’t stop, we’ll kill her.”

“I like her style,” Nat commented, as she pulled weapons from the car. “You really think guns won’t help?” she checked, looking mildly disappointed.

Emma was about to confirm the fact until she saw the size of the guns these people had brought along. Maybe those would work. Then suddenly Stark was in a metal suit, and there was a bow and arrows in Clint’s hands. Everything happened so fast, Emma wondered if these guys knew magic too!

“Parker, you wouldn’t really kill Regina....?” Neal whispered too her, barely audible over the furore of weapons and incoming dragon attack.

“Of course not,” she rolled her eyes. “But I know ways to hurt her til she cracks,” she confessed, eyes glittering with a little too much fun - those lessons Eliot taught her were going to come in so handy.

“If you’re going, I think you should go,” said Bruce then, as his gaze travelled over the assembled group, his friends and his girlfriend. “Might only be one way to stop a beast like this one.”

“With a Hulk?” Darcy guessed, grinning all over her face.

It was pretty cool having a boyfriend that could turn into a rampaging monster. That probably didn’t sound fun on the surface, but she never did worry about him hurting her, plus he could protect her from anything her taser couldn’t handle. She had a good idea that dragon’s wouldn’t go down from one little electrical shock.

“Hey, maybe I’ll come with you guys,” she called to Parker and McSweeten as they set off at a run in the directions Emma had given them. “I feel like kicking ass too,” she told Bruce with a smirk, right before she kissed him.

“Sounds good to me,” agreed Pepper, knowing she didn’t have enough fire-power for a dragon either.

Darcy and Pepper took off behind the so-called FBI agents, leaving Emma, Neal, and the four members of the Avengers to take down the dragon.

“You guys sure you’re ready for this?” Emma asked, having to yell too loudly over the roar of the dragon and the thunder of its feet on the ground.

“Any second now, right, Doc?” smirked Clint as his eyes glanced from his old friend to Bruce.

Emma swore she saw something green flash in the eyes of the mild-mannered scientist type, and then suddenly he was changing. Of all the magic they had encountered, neither she nor Neal were quite ready for the hulking mass of green muscle that erupted from the guy’s clothes. Right now they didn’t have time to be all that shocked. There was work to do.

Stark flew forward in his iron suit, taking point, barking orders. The Hulk barrelled down the street, with Clint and Natasha behind. Emma and Neal brought up the rear, swords in hands. There was no way to know how this would end, but neither of the fairytale kids were sorry they called for back-up this time. They couldn’t’ve asked for any better help than these people.

* * *

Snow had won her argument with Charming and Rumpelstiltskin eventually. Magicking them off to a safe house while Emma and Neal did battle seemed so wrong, but Rumpelstiltskin had seen it with his ability to know the future. He knew that they had to do this alone, and that none of them, himself included, would allow it to happen if they stayed in Storybrooke. A couple of hours of talking about the worst that could happen, and Snow had thoroughly convinced the men that they never should’ve left their kids to fend for themselves. Prophecy or not, they had to stand by Emma and Neal, defend their family and their town. On arriving back in main street in a ball of purple smoke, all three soon realised they were not needed. Henry was just glad to be back where he felt he belonged, and eager to find his parents.

A slain dragon lay down the centre of the road, mutilated and very much dead. Snow wondered at the arrows and bullets both embedded in amongst the purplish black scales of the beast. The blood on the ground had to have come from the dragon itself. No human shed such a sticky, dark-coloured substance.

“What happened here?” asked Charming, looking thoroughly baffled.

“More than just the two of them fought this battle,” Rumplestilstkin said definitely.

All attention was suddenly diverted as wild cheering was heard from a ways away. Henry hurried around the corner to Granny’s diner, with the grown-ups on his heels, only to find that everyone from town had already gathered there. They had been told to hide in the forest outside of town until he worst was over, but had clearly been called back now it was. In the centre booth, amongst the cheering joyful townsfolk, sat Emma and Neal, their hands entwined. Beside them another blonde was sharing a soda with what had to be her shy-looking boyfriend. On the other side, a brunette wearing glasses was in the lap of a man wearing clothes that somehow didn’t seem to be his own if the fit were anything to go by, and a man in a sharp suit was sat with a pretty red-haired head on his shoulder.

“Hey, Emma!” a voice called as two more strangers appeared - a man and a woman in black - both carrying beers. “I think the MIAs are back.” he told the blonde, who suddenly got up and rushed to hug her son and parents.

“I’m so glad you’re back,” she told them. “It got pretty hairy for a while there.”

“But you did it,” said Snow with a smile.

“With a little help from some friends, aye, dearie?” Rumpelstiltskin checked.

“Yeah,” Emma nodded. “Your prophecy might’ve specified that no-one else from our world was involved in that fight, so we called some non-magic back up. It worked,” she shrugged easily.

“After seeing the state of the dragon, part of me wishes I’d been here to see the battle,” Charming smiled at his daughter who made him so proud.

“Trust me, it was probably better that you didn’t,” she laughed lightly. “But I have to say, it felt pretty good finally getting Regina locked away where she can’t hurt anybody anymore.”

Emma couldn’t stop smiling as she looked around all the happy faces in the diner, her fairytale friends mixing with old friends of both herself and Neal, and some new people too. Maybe happily ever after was too big an ask in this land without magic, but with a little leverage and a real will to avenge those who needed it, maybe people could stand together and achieve greatness.


End file.
